The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 54

outdoors
" Simply put, Craig County is gorgeous.
... Specifically for my business, the
remoteness is an advantage. The Jefferson
National Forest borders close to 80% of my
property of 100 acres. " - Dina Imbriani,
Mountain Shepherd Adventure School
Dina Imbriani owns Mountain Shepherd
Adventure School and says, " Simply put, Craig
County is gorgeous. ... Specifically for my business,
the remoteness is an advantage. The Jefferson
National Forest borders close to 80% of my property
of 100 acres. The views include the Appalachian
Trail on Sinking Creek Mountain. My customers
travel from around the country and marvel at the
beauty of the mountain setting. "
Imbriani finds her neighbors to be " salt of the
Marge Lewter. " I have a special relationship
with Craig County. I love living here
and sometimes appreciate it being Virginia's
best kept secret, as our tourism poster once
said. This area of Appalachia is a real treasure,
and it should be preserved. Once it's
changed, there's no getting it back. Others
need to experience our forests and mountain
vistas and our dark skies full of stars. ... I
appreciate the way it does not change much
here. Farms remain for generations, and the
local traditions remain strong. "
Annie Woodford, teacher and poet:
" I moved there out of college for a couple of
years, thinking it would be like Floyd. It was
definitely not like Floyd, culturally. Great
natural setting though. "
earth people, always willing to lend a helping hand.
... it's easy to run a business in Craig County.
The people are great to work with and are always
available.
" If I could change one thing, it would be to
remove the hate-filled, politically-motivated
signs on a roadside barn my customers drive by.
Regardless of political affiliation, the signs are
offensive. "
Jesse Spence knows about driving. He is an engineer
for Norfolk Southern Railway and his family
moved to Craig County when he was a teenager.
" Dad bought a cabin " and that pretty much initiated
a family move. Now his family (wife and
three boys), father, two brothers and a sister all live
in Craig. He homeschools his kids and has been
on the Board of Supervisors for 10 years, eight as
chairman.
He helps watch over a budget south of $13.5
million and a tax take that is affected by the federal
ownership of quite a bit of Craig land. The feds pay
$300,000 to $400,000 a year in taxes, he says, and
most of the rest of the county's tax revenue comes
from property taxes and taxes from the county's 120
businesses. The real estate tax is a meager 64 cents
per $100 evaluation.
The county doesn't collect trash and most water
is from wells. There are plenty of septic tanks. There
are few municipal employees. There are about 10
54 MARCH/APRIL 2024
in the sheriff's department and the state chips
in with a few officers. " We are blessed to have
a safe community, " says Spence.
Population has been on a downward trend
in recent years, but " we have no interest in
growing, " says Spence. " We want to be a
rural community. We don't anticipate business
growth. Most people who work don't
work here. The largest employer is the school
system. "
He notes that retaining young graduates is
not a certainty. " Some leave, some stay their
whole lives, " he says. " The young think it is
too slow here. " He travels about 60 miles
a day for work, but " I don't think about it.
Travel is the price you pay for living here. It's
a trade-off. "
Craig has a serviceable grocery store and a
small mercantile, but " we generally [do grocery
shopping] in Salem. " It is a matter of planning.
" We do everything we can to take care
of ourselves. "
Internet is problematic and cellular and television
reception can be frustrating. The Board
of Supervisors is working on all three challenges,
says Spence, who adds that " we don't
even have a TV. "
Recently there has been a bruhaha about
a new trail along Craig Creek that has pitted
residents against each other. The trail would
benefit Craig economically and would draw in
a lot of tourists and hikers. But, says Spence,
some " people don't want change, but things do
change. The trail is in the planning stage " and
he's pretty sure it will come about.
Living in Craig, he says, " we have to be
more self-reliant. We are at the center of a
circle. " And that circle has different meanings
to different people. I
TheRoanoker.com
DAN SMITH / COURTESY OF MARGE LEWTER / DAN SMITH
Marge Lewter
New Castle Hotel
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker March/April 2024

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